The Star of Morcyth: The Morcyth Saga Book Five (51 page)

So it took longer than it could have but
they finally put one together before lunch. James is more than
happy to put off going out there while they take a break and have
something to eat.

“What are you looking for out there?” Jorry
asks during their meal.

“I don’t really know,” he replies. “On the
face of it, it seems kind of dumb.”

“Prophecies are often that way,” agrees
Uther. “They make no sense until it’s time for them to be
understood.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see,” he
says.

“…a thin, white blanket. You then walk with
a lantern underneath and it makes the glowing apparition appear.”
From across the room James hears the miner, who has yet to tell
anyone his name, explain to Qyrll how he produced some of the
spectral effects. “You have to make sure you are far enough away so
no one will see through the disguise.”

Nodding, Qyrll says, “Makes sense.

James just shakes his head at them. Qyrll
has been after the miner for his secrets on haunting Ironhold and
he’s been more than glad to share them. Seems he’s been out of
contact with people for a long time and Qyrll’s keen interest makes
him feel good.

When at last the meal is over and James can
put it off no longer, they all go down to the lake where the
makeshift raft sits. Uther was there securing the last few logs
together while the rest finished their lunch. The whole thing looks
rather dubious. Having put it together without the aid of an axe
has left many branches sticking out at odd angles. To James it
looks like a giant porcupine, at least there will be plenty of
handholds to keep him atop it.

Jiron plans on coming along and has a long
stripped pole which he’ll use to move the raft away from shore.
Lying in the center of the raft are two wide strips of bark which
they’ll be able to use as paddles when the pole is no longer
effective. Moving to the raft, Jiron boards it first while Jorry
and Uther hold it steady.

“Hurry up man,” Jorry says from where he
stands in the water. “I think my feet are going numb.” He makes his
way on and then holds onto a protruding branch while James comes
forward.

Stepping carefully, he makes his way onto
the raft and takes his place in the center. Once he’s seated firmly
on the logs, he nods to Jorry and Uther who release the raft and
hurry out of the water.

Taking his pole, Jiron begins pushing them
away from shore. “How far should we go?” he asks after they’ve
moved out a dozen yards or so.

“Middle, if we can,” he replies.

“Don’t think my pole is going to be able to
reach the bottom much longer,” he tells him. The depth of the water
has steadily increased, especially once they’ve moved fifty feet
from shore. Suddenly, the pole sinks almost to the surface of the
water before Jiron brings it to a stop. Pulling it up, he lays it
across the raft.

Picking up one of the pieces of bark they’ll
use for paddles, he hands it to James and says, “Looks like we use
these from here.”

James takes the ‘paddle’ and moves to the
side opposite Jiron and begins paddling. At first they start to
spin as either he or Jiron paddles harder than the other, but then
they get a good rhythm down and start moving in a more straight
line toward the middle of the lake.

As he paddles, he glances back occasionally
to those still on the shore and the mountain behind them. They
remain there, staring at their progress across the lake. The sun
riding high in the sky keeps the chill at bay. At times water
splashes onto him from when he dips his paddle in the water and he
realizes just how cold this water is, freezing may be an
understatement. They paddle until the raft reaches roughly the
center of the lake and then they stop.

“Now what?” asks Jiron.

“I haven’t a clue,” he says. “For all we
know that line may simply be there to throw people off. Nothing
ever said that every line of a prophecy has to mean something.”

“Can you give it to me one more time?” asks
Jiron.

“Sure,” he replies.

When the Fire shines Bright,

And the Star walks the Land.

Time for the Lost,

Will soon be at Hand.

At the foot of the King,

Bathe in his Cup.

Pull his Beard,

To make him sit Up.

Seven to Nine,

Six to Four.

Spit in the Wind,

And open the Door.

“Hmmm,” muses Jiron as he contemplates the
words. “The second verse refers to the king in every line. Seems
important.” He then turns his attention to the mountain which
dominates the entire area. Kiliticus rises immensely behind their
comrades on the shore.

“Does a mountain have a beard?” he asks
after a few minutes of silence.

“I don’t think so,” replies James. “Is there
an outcropping of rock perhaps that appears like a beard?”

They both stare at the mountain and
scrutinize its surface. There are many outcroppings and overhangs,
but nothing which even remotely resembles a beard. “I think we may
be going about this the wrong way,” Jiron says.

“What do you mean?” asks James.

“This isn’t accomplishing anything,” he
says. “Think we should return to shore and see if we can come at
this another way?”

The only other way which James can think of
is to take the line literally and get into the water. He’s simply
not willing to do that unless there’s no other alternative. “We
haven’t been out here very long,” he says. “Give it a couple more
hours and if we’re still without a clue, we’ll go back.”

“Very well,” he says. Making himself as
comfortable as possible, Jiron waits. At first the view from the
center of the lake is enough to keep him distracted, but after
awhile he begins nodding off. Not too concerned, he’s sure James
will wake him should anything happen.

If he didn’t have the possible future of
going into the water, James would find this a lot more relaxing.
Out here in the middle of the lake is very peaceful. The mountains
surrounding them give the area a charm he hasn’t found for a long
time. Snowcapped mountains covered in trees with the blue sky above
them, absolutely beautiful.

Over on the shore the others have given up
watching him and begun to explore the ruins. He doesn’t blame them,
he’s sure at first they thought something important was going to
happen. When it failed to materialize they grew bored and began
finding something else to do.

The quiet seems to rejuvenate his spirit,
bringing him a peace he hasn’t had for some time. What with all the
fighting and bickering between the various members of his group and
all the attempts made on his life, this is really the first time
he’s been able to completely relax in weeks. Putting his cares
aside for a moment, he tries to enjoy the tranquility.

His mind drifts back to the time he and
Meliana spent together on her father’s ship just after they came to
his rescue. You can bet he was surprised when he saw who it was
that rescued him. A smile comes to him at the thought of what his
grandparents would say if they knew he was in love. Yes, he is in
love. All doubt had been shattered when he looked at her at the
railing as he was climbing up from the rescue boat.

Once things settle down he’ll return to
Corillian and find her, though how long that will be is uncertain.
Most likely she’ll find another man by then, the thought dampens
his mood somewhat. But then the fact that she made the long voyage
all the way from Corillian on the off chance he may be in Cardri
comes to mind. She wouldn’t have done that unless her heart was
driving her, and it’s unlikely she’ll find another unless all hope
of their union is gone.

Hours drift by and he realizes nothing is
going to happen, but the peace of where he is keeps him there. The
gently rolling of the raft as it floats upon the water and the sun
beating down on him lulls him into a deep relaxation which brings
him to the brink of sleep.

Splash!

“Aaaaaahhhh!” he cries as frigid water
drenches him from head to toe.

“What happened?” asks Jiron as he’s wrenched
from slumber by James’ cry.

“Some damn fish just breached and splashed
me with water,” he says.

Jiron looks over to him and sees where water
is running down the side of his face. Laughing, he says, “It must
have been some big fish.”

“It’s not funny, I’m freezing,” he
complains. His hair is now slightly matted to his face and his
clothes are sticking to him.

“Time to return?” asks Jiron.

Nodding, with teeth slightly chattering he
replies, “Yes.” Picking up one of the crude paddles he begins
paddling back to shore. The day is already coming to a close, he
had no idea they had been out there that long. Over to west the sun
is nearing the peaks and the shadows are beginning to grow
long.

One person remains on the shore, looks to be
Miko. When he sees them paddling for shore, he gets to his feet and
races back to the ruins. Shortly the others gather by the water’s
edge to greet them on their return.

When they’re about halfway to shore, James’
eye catches something from the mountain and he glances to its
slopes. Not sure at first what caught his eye it takes him a moment
to realize just what he’s seeing.

Concentrating on his paddling, Jiron doesn’t
realize James has stopped until the raft begins to turn in a circle
instead of forward. Looking to his friend, he sees him staring with
mouth slightly open at the mountain. He stops paddling as he turns
to look. He’s about to ask him what’s going on when he sees it too,
a shadowy face on the slope of the mountain. And the face has a
beard. “How is that possible?” he asks.

Grabbing his paddle, James replies, “I don’t
know but try to remember where the end of the beard is.” Paddling
with renewed determination, he and Jiron push for shore.

They continuously glance at the shadowy
visage upon the mountain, trying to fix in their minds exactly
where the end of the beard lies. It looks to end at a large
outcropping of stone jutting out from the side of the mountain.

As they near the beach, James yells, “We
found it!”

“Where?” asks Fifer.

Beaching the raft, James and Jiron jump to
the sand and break into a run. “Up the mountain!” he cries as he
and Jiron race for the spot before the light completely fades. It’s
a little ways up the mountain from where the ruins sit and as they
climb, the sun drops behind the mountains and the shadows
disappear.

“What did you see?” asks Miko.

“A face in shadows,” replies James.

“A face?” questions Qyrll.

“Yes,” he answers.

“But how is that possible?” Uther asks as he
follows along behind.

From the front of the group, James’ voice
comes back to him, “I don’t know.”

They continue working their way up the
slope. Darkness begins to creep into the world as the light slowly
fades away. Before it fails altogether, the outcropping of rock
which coincided with the shadow’s beard comes into view.

The rock around them begins to show signs of
having been worked. Right angles, which could never be formed with
such precision by nature start to appear. What use they held can no
longer be determined.

Forging through the underbrush James
suddenly comes into a clearing and before him lies the outcropping.
The signs of human workmanship can be seen all over now. Holding
out his hand, his orb suddenly springs to life for him to see
better as the light has all but faded away.

In the glow of the orb, he approaches the
outcropping. “Examine the whole area,” he says. “Look for any sign
of the Star.” Suddenly, several other orbs spring into being and
the entire area is flooded with light.

“Won’t this attract anyone in the area?”
Jiron asks him.

“Damn, forgot about that in my excitement,”
he says as he looks around at the blazing orbs. Then he glances
back to Jiron and shrugs, “Too late now.”

“At least we have the high ground,” Qyrll
says.

“What?” asks Jorry.

“The high ground,” he explains. “The fighter
upon the high ground has a better tactical advantage.”

“Oh,” he says.

“You should know that,” Uther pipes up.
“Remember that time when…” He and Jorry go off together as he
begins another of his stories.

Pull his beard to make him
sit up
. Should that be taken literally? If so, then how do
you pull a shadow?
Questions run through James’ mind as he
ponders the best course of action. The others are hunting as well,
looking over, under and around for any place bearing the Star of
Morcyth. He is sure that is what must be found. Down to the center
of his being he knows that to be true.

Dave is standing off to the side, not being
very helpful. Oh sure, whenever James glances his way he makes it
seem that he is actively looking. When he turns back, he goes back
to watching the others, a look on his face saying this is dumb.

It was during just such a time when Jiron
comes up behind him and asks, “Why aren’t you helping?”

Dave turns around to see him there with
fists on his hips and a scowl on his face. “What business is it of
yours?”

Eyes narrowing, Jiron replies slightly
louder than necessary, “You are supposed to be James’ friend. Yet
when everyone else is trying their best to aid him, you stand
around as if you don’t care or are just too lazy.” After a moment
of silence as they stare at each other, he adds in contempt, “You
make me sick.”

The others pause in their searching while
they move closer to where the growing drama is unfolding. From the
far side of the clearing, James takes notice of what’s transpiring
and hurries over.

“Why don’t you leave me alone?” Dave says,
voice rising in irritation. Glancing around at the others he
continues. “You all have done nothing but treat me like dirt ever
since we first met. You can all just go to hell!”